The Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA) Advisory Committee consists of 11 members representing a balance of interests in the area. The committee is co-convened by DEQ, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and the Oregon Water Resources Department, with coordination and facilitation support from Oregon Consensus.
Read more about LUBGWMA Advisory Committee Operating Guidelines.
Advisory Committee and Agency Roles
Committee members represent a constituency. They bring information about what agencies are doing to that constituency and bring that constituency’s questions and ideas to agencies.
State agencies provide updates about Nitrate Reduction Plan and consider questions and feedback from committee members. Meetings are also a space for local and Tribal governments to share relevant updates.
State agencies, with feedback from committee members, implement and continuously refine strategies to reduce nitrate in groundwater.
LUBGWMA Advisory Committee Meeting
April 7, 2026
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Hybrid in-person and virtual
Blue Mountain Community College,
Conference Room (PIAF-127),
975 SE Columbia Drive, Hermiston, OR
Join on Zoom
or
join by phone: 971-247-1195
Meeting ID: 942 6723 5690
Passcode: 793501
Advisory committee meetings are open to the public to listen and observe.
Sign up to receive email announcements about upcoming LUBGWMA Advisory Committee meetings.
Previous Meetings
December 12, 2025
LUBGWMA Advisory Committee Meeting
Read the meeting minutes
Watch the recorded meeting
Find previous committee meeting minutes, reports and presentations in the historical document archive.
Committee Members
Primary committee members serve as representatives for interests in their category. There may also be an identified alternate member for each category.
Morrow County
Commissioner Gus Peterson (Primary)
Tamra Mabbott (Alternate)
Umatilla County
Commissioner Dan Dorran (Primary)
Robert Waldher (Alternate)
Tribal Government
Eric Quaempts (Primary), Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)
Anton Chiono (Alternate), Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)
City Government
Aaron Palmquist (Primary), City of Irrigon
David Stockdale (Alternate), City of Umatilla
Science and Research
Dr. Salini Sasidharan (Primary), Oregon State University
Dr. Carlos Bonilla (Alternate), Oregon State University
Irrigated Agriculture
Jake Madison (Primary), Madison Farms
Livestock/Dairy/CAFO
Greg Harris (Primary), Threemile Canyon Farms
Neil Ferguson (Alternate), Threemile Canyon Farms
Industry and Business
Ian Toevs (Primary), Lamb Weston
Debbie Radie (Alternate), Boardman Foods, Inc.
Environmental Nonprofit Community Group
Karen Lewotsky (Primary), Oregon Environmental Council
Jana Gastellum (Alternate), Oregon Environmental Council
General Public (Position 1)
Kristin Anderson Ostrom (Primary), Oregon Rural Action
Kaleb Lay (Alternate), Oregon Rural Action
General Public (Position 2)
Jose Garcia (Primary)
Eric Ashford (Alternate)